Winsted's Union Pin Company: Highland Lake and Pins Still in the Soil

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Photo courtesy of the Winchester Tax Office Pins in the Brook: The Last Ruins of the Union Pin Company J and I came at it through the trees. No path, just tall standing trees and the kind of undergrowth that swats at your shins and grabs your laces, until the canopy thinned and we found what was left. A turbine, tall and rusted, rising out of the woods beside a brook in Winsted, Connecticut. A small generator sat on top of it, also rusted, also still. Beside that, set back from the tree line and facing the residential houses across Lake Street, a sealed and boarded building held its ground. It was August 2019, midday, the kind of heat that slows everything down. We photographed the turbine carefully, then picked our way downstream along the slippery rocks of the brook that fed toward the Mad River past Boyd Street. What J never mentioned, and what I never thought to look for, was the hydropower outlet tucked behind the thick trees just off the path we'd taken. And neither of us eve...
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Former Conty's Drive-In (Salt & Pepper Restaurant)





Where the cuisine and customer service were lacking. Yelp reviews.

I came across this sad sight on my way to the nearby Seaside Park for sunset where I learned I needed a permit to enter the park. I made a furious U-turn and pulled alongside the defunct Indian cuisine restaurant. It seemed this halal restaurant did not function very well during its two-year tenure whilst it was opened (around 2009). The property sits at a two-way street intersection in a prime location for park-goers. This property was once slated for a high-rise development but as of now, no action has been taken to proceed to that goal. Currently zoned for office and retail use many hungry travelers pass by unperturbed by its vacant status. Not even the late-night hungry hoards of students at the University of Bridgeport could save it.

Before it was known as Salt & Pepper, this former place of business was originally known as Conty's drive-in. Built in 1961 and family-owned, it served burgers, seafood, and Italian dishes around the 60's and late 80's. The blue pillar festooned with the letter "C" and its unique architectural gull-wing style roof is all that remained of this former eatery. You can see it in its former glory here on Pinterest and also here. (Warning super small and low res.) You can see it in its defunct state with its marquee neon signage on Flickr's verplanck.



Current Status: Demolished


Coordinates:   41°10'0"N   73°11'10"W




Former Conty's Restaurant.









🍔 Did You Eat at Conty's Drive-In?

Did you pull up to Conty's for burgers and shakes back in the day? Do you have photos from when the drive-in was still serving, old menus, matchbooks, or memories of this Connecticut roadside classic? Share your stories below.

Drop a comment below or contact me directly. Full credit given to all contributors.

🍔 More Abandoned Connecticut Locations




Sources:
Location: 30 University Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, USA

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